Nothing is Ever Normal
by EnnaBella
Summary: She thought her life was normal. Normal police work, normal personal life, normal. It was all normal until the night she received a call that will send her world turning upside down. After that night she opens her eyes to a new kind of normal. Hiei/OC
1. Death

**Prologue; Death**

I never really gave too much though to how I would die. I figured, if I was lucky, I would go in my sleep. I mean, I guess that is everyone's goal: slip peacefully into oblivion after leading a long, healthy, successful life. If you were good, you go to Heaven, and if not, well, then, you met the Devil himself. Asking for that, however, was simply out of the question. My reality is I would die by the hands of a perp while on the job; become another statistic on the rising yearly count of dead police officers. Unfortunate as it is, that's how I would most likely go. Most likely.

That's not how it's going right now. Yeah, I'm at the hands of a perp, just not the kind you would expect. He isn't a bank robber or a traffic stop gone horribly wrong. No, because that would be normal and if you can tell me exactly what about my life is normal, I would give you a thousand bucks. Let me lay out my situation to you, so you understand how my life will end.

This dungeon is dark, damp, and on the chilly side. I can hear pipes leaking and the structure settling. Bare walls surround me and bare floors are under me. There is nothing to this room. Nothing. I'm chained to a wall, arms up over my head and feet barely scraping the floor. My face is bloody and bruised, eyes swollen so much you can barely see any of their gray. My usually high cheekbones are now broken and on the verge of collapsing into my face. My nose is now crooked, broken, and full of coagulated blood. My once beautiful black hair is now knotted and caked in blood and grime. My previously, CAREFULLY, honed body is now covered in wounds; deep gashes, small cuts, various burns, and the such. These people, no, things, wanted revenge. I was the only one left alive after that fateful night and, apparently, they had been searching for me ever since, to cut the only survivor down. Well, they're getting their wish.

Next to me lay Hiei, arms chained at his side and unconscious. I don't know how long he's been out, but I'm sure it won't be for too much longer. His physical state is similar to mine: bruises and blood and the such. I can tell he is breathing though, which is a relief. I think they're more pissed at him for being my partner and hold no grudge against him, except for his affiliation with "The Survivor." If I knew just knowing me would have lead to this, I would have ran the other direction. It hurts to look at him knowing I got him into this and I'm not sure I can get him out.

The others, I don't know where they are. After being slammed into that portal I'm not even sure I know where I am. I can't smell anything because my nose is officially broken, obviously I can barely see anything, and the things I see aren't useful. My sensitive skin doesn't help me a whole lot either. My black fox ears, which are perched on the top of my head and on full alert and my nerves are on edge, reaching out to feel any reverbs from sounds. I feel nothing though. Well, not NOTHING, since I can feel Hiei's breathing.

I am pissed. No, not just pissed, royally fucking pissed. I can feel the heat from my anger raging in my body. I have a renewed urge to struggle against my restraints now, but I know better than to do that. My wrists are raw from the previous hours of struggling. My anger boils up even more. Then, my body catches an all too familiar sound and my stomach drops to the floor. It's the lock on the door. And then HE walks in. Just strides right through the threshold, smiling. His silver hair is tied at the nape of his neck and he is dressed in a crisp suit with shinny new black shoes, making him look more like a respectable businessman instead of the murderous asshole who took the lives of my family; who is currently trying to take the life from Hiei and me.

"Hello, Kalel." He flashed a toothy grin my way. I tried to growl in return, but was cut short upon seeing the glint of steel coming from his hands.

"I figured you would know what this is," he stated, holding the knife up. I closed my eyes. I didn't need to see the entire thing to know what it was. Ancient symbols were etched into its surface and into its oak wooden handle. That knife had murdered countless Spirits. Countless. And it was just about to add one more to its list.

"Well, since you know what's coming, let's get started, shall we?"

_Author's Notes_

_This is just the prologue. I'm thinking the next chapter might be a glimps into Kalel's past? I don't know yet, but the mystery man has a lot to do with her past. A LOT, if you haven't already guessed._

_I'm hoping I will be able to keep up with this story. Unlike my previous stories, I have this story planned out. I will try my best to update every week and the updates will be longer than this chapter is. I just wanted to give you readers a taste and I wanted to ease into the story. What better way than to foreshadow (or whatever you call this)? I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to comment and critique. Constructive criticism is ALWAYS welcome!_

_Kalel is an original character. The Yu Yu Hakusho characters are not mine._


	2. Nightmares

**Chapter 1; Nightmares**

"_Sweetheart, why are you outside?" I turn around to face the man talking to me. He's a familiar one, one that I have seen in my dreams so many times. He walks towards me with a wide, loving smile. His hair cascades over his shoulders and the moon cast an eery glow to the black locks. His ears, perched atop his head, are drooping a bit and his tail swishes behind him. I could see a glint of light coming from the pupils of his gray eyes, similar to how a dog or cat's eyes glow in the dark. He is wearing his fighting tunic this time; the white fabric hangs loosely from his figure._

"_I couldn't sleep, Daddy," I hear myself say. My voice sounds strange. It is not its normal tone, the one I've grown to know as I journey through adulthood. No, it is a voice of a small child. In fact, now that I am realizing this, I come to notice I'm not my normal height; I'm much smaller. I try to look around, but I find I can't. I can't move, I can't control my body. I just stand there; gazing at the man I call Dad._

"_Kalel, you shouldn't be out here this time of night. It's not safe," he said, worry filling his eyes. "How long have you been out here?"_

"_I dunno, Daddy. Not long," I reply, smiling up at him. He returns a wary smile and scoops me up into his arms. My arms snake around his neck and I find myself staring behind him, at the place I stood just a few seconds before. However, the place isn't empty, and I lock eyes with a tall man. He is smiling, but his smile is different than Daddy's. It's evil. He waves at me, his red eyes boring into mine. He has his silver hair tied back into a low pony-tail and he is holding something, something the moonlight is bouncing off of._

"_Daddy..." my younger self begins to say, but I am cut off by the mysterious man._

"_Kaleb, how have you been?" The man asks, his low voice seems to slice right through the night. I feel a shiver creep up my spine as his voice reaches me. Fear grips me as my father stops and tenses. He slowly sets me on my feet and turns around, making sure to stay in front of me. Their eyes meet._

"_Michael, why are you here?" My father asks, his voice so low I almost cannot make out what he is saying.. I see his right foot slide back a bit, widening his feet into a more appropriate defense stance. My little hands automatically grasp the end of his tunic, a reaction any small child would have when faced with fear. My father's hand slowly makes its way down to mine and he gently pries my fists from his clothing. Having nothing else to do, I slide my tiny arms around my body, hugging myself for comfort. My little fox ears pin themselves back on my head and my tail tucks itself in between my legs._

"_You know why I'm here, Kaleb. Don't act stupid," Michael says as he brings the object in his hands up. It's a small knife with engravings all over the blade and the handle. He presses the point into his index finger, testing the sharpness of the blade. He grins again, razor sharp incisors peak out over his lip. His eyes wrinkle a bit, showing he is getting some kind of pleasure from this encounter._

"_You lie! It's not time yet!" My dad yells. I can see him shaking now; with fear or rage, I don't know. He widens his stance even more, forcing me backwards._

"_Oh, but it is. Six years can fly by so fast," Michael replies. "I can see little Kalel is doing fine," he notes, smiling my direction. I shrink back behind Daddy even more._

"_NO! You leave her out of this!" My dad growls. Michael shakes his head and makes a 'tisk, tisk' sound._

"_You know the deal. If I see her when I come to collect, I kill her too," Michael relayed. I see my dad shaking even more. Then, he bounds forward._

"_Kalel, RUN!" He yells, but I am frozen. My little legs won't move. I try to open my mouth to scream, but my body won't obey me. I see my dad and Michael fighting. I've seen the man I call my father fight in many dreams before. He is an amazing fighter, to say the least. But Michael, he is beating him. I see slice after slice land on my dad, tearing his shirt and his skin. Then I see it. I see the blade bury itself deep into my dad's chest..._

I shoot straight up from my pillow, a fine sheen of sweat covers my body, making my hair stick to my neck. The alarm clock blares its offending sound. It's 1500 Friday afternoon. It's time for me to wake up and get ready for work. This is one of the only times I am thankful for the alarm clock waking me up. I throw my legs off the side of the bed and sit there. The covers are scrunched at the bottom of my mattress as a result from my fitful sleep. These nightmares are a permanent fixture in my life, causing me to have trouble falling asleep and becoming fitful during sleep.

I stand up and stretch my arms over my head, trying to shake off the last bit of remaining emotion from my dream. Slowly, I make my way to the bathroom for the shower that will wash away the sweat from my body. I flip the light on and stare into the mirror at my reflection. My short, choppy brown hair is sticking out every which way from my head; the back of it stuck to my neck. I have noticeable dark circles under my brown eyes. Sleep lines mar my cheeks and run up the side of my face. Oh, what a sight I am.

I walk over to the shower and turn on the water. After stripping off my pajamas, I jump in, not waiting for the water to warm up. The cold drops hit my back and serve as a major wake up call to my tired body. I quickly wash my hair and body before shutting off the water and toweling myself off. I walk back into my bedroom to retrieve my uniform for tonight's patrol shift. After slipping on my uniform and gear, I return to the bathroom to tame my unruly hair as much as I can. My dark circles have disappeared somewhat from the cool shower and I start to look like I had somewhat of a decent night's sleep. After that, I walk to the kitchen and eat a quick 'breakfast:' two wheat bagels with a bit of cream cheese, an apple, and some orange juice. The breakfast is nothing big, just enough to last me until my next meal, scheduled three hours from now. My metabolism is so high that if I don't eat every few hours I cannot function. As soon as I gulp down my food, I brush my teeth and head to work.

So far, today's work is business as usual. A few disturbance calls here and there, a few speeders, nothing major. I decide to just cruise around and observe the city. I take my usual route, covering mainly the northern section. It's not too bad up here, usually just petty crime scattered here and there through this section. Usually. My cell phone rings. It's my best friend.

"Jess, what's going on?" I asked. She usually never calls me when she knows I'm working.

"Kalel, can you please go check on Gabe? We were talking on the phone when I heard a crash and then the line went dead. I'm kind of worried," I could hear the fear mounting in her voice as she described the situation.

"No problem. I'm near his house anyways. I'll let you know," I replied as I hung up. I flipped on my lights and siren and sped his way.

Upon turning into his neighborhood I silenced the siren. Pulling into his driveway I began to observe his place. Nothing seemed to be out of its place. No extra vehicles, no broken windows or sign of any problem. The lights inside were turned off, which was a bit odd since Jess said she had just spoken to him. It could be nothing, however. He could be in bed or watching TV somewhere in the house. I record the 'wellness check' in my log book and let dispatch know where I am before exiting my patrol car.

The area is silent. Dead silent. Usually, there are some kinds of insects making noises in the woods behind his home, but, tonight, there are none. While walking up to his front door, the noise my boots make seem so loud, almost deafening, to my ears. I reach his door and proceed to knock and wait a minute. No one answers. I knock a second time.

"Sheriff's Office," I shout. No answer. I was just about to turn away when I heard a noise from behind the door. The locks unlock and the door cracks open. I see Gabe or, at least, a sliver of his eye and face from in between the door and the frame.

"H-hey Kalel," Gabe whispers. This is really odd. "Everything is okay here." He begins to shut the door.

"Gabe, wait!" I rushed, putting my palm flat on the door's surface, preventing him from closing it, "what's going on?"

"N-nothing, Kalel, just go away," Gabe tries to close the door again. I won't let him. I push the door open a little bit further. I can see there is fright in his eyes, they are wide and tear filled. I can tell there is something wrong here. I put my other hand on the door frame and start tapping. Gabe spent some time in the Navy, learning all the things he needed in Communications. One of the things he learned was Morse Code. He always told me it would come in handy one day and he forced me to learn it a few months back. I started tapping a message.

"Are you sure you are okay?" I ask verbally.

'Someone behind door?" I tap.

"Yeah," he answers back. "I'm sure."

'Go left.' Tap, tap. "Okay then." I stepped back and then rushed forward, putting all my weight onto the door. Gabe went left, allowing the door to swing open fully, pinning the person behind it against the wall. I drew my weapon.

"Come out!" I command as I enter the house, positioning myself beside the door. The wood pushes forward, relieving a young looking guy. He was extremely scrawny looking and I stare at him, puzzled. This little guy had Gabe all worried? "Turn around and face the wall with your hands behind your back," I say. He didn't move. I clench my teeth together.

"Turn around and face the wall with your hands behind your back," I command again, this time putting more force behind my voice. He, again, didn't move. Wait, I take that back. He did move. He smiled up at me. My brows furrow, trying to make sense of what I was looking at exactly. Or maybe it was just an illusion my red and blue patrol car lights were playing on my eyes. I thought his teeth were jagged. That can't really be true, unless he had some nasty dental work done. Then, I hear a crash behind me. I glance over my shoulder to see another man standing next to Gabe, a sword against my friend's neck. A sword? I grasp my radio.

"I'm going to need backup," I state into the microphone.

"Copy," comes the reply. "ETA five minutes." Shit. Just when things couldn't get any worse, I hear a crash from outside. I risk a glance at the door and see a group of people facing off in the yard. What. The. Fuck?

"Everyone just stay calm," I state. They did just the opposite. Everything erupts.

Now, mostly of what I remember is hearing punches being thrown and yelling. I see blood and steel and everything else. Something about a gun was yelled then flashing lights explode in my line of vision. What the hell was going on? I remember wrestling with one of the suspects inside the house. I remember seeing multiple people swarm into the house. I remember seeing very strange looking people, and I'm not just talking about the perps. They are strange, yes, with their little jagged teeth and slobbering mouths, but that's not who I'm talking about. The people helping me fight these things were even stranger than them. There was a man blowing light from his fingers, another holding some kind of light saber, one with a green whip, and the last with spiky hair and a sword. What the hell is up with the damn swords? Then, the unthinkable.

I feel my whole body jar, like some kind of force ramming at my back. I look down to see the silver glint of a blade sticking through the top part of my stomach. What the hell? It went through my Kevlar? IT WENT THROUGH MY KEVLAR! A FUCKING SWORD WENT THOUGH MY KEVLAR!

And that, my friends, is the last thing I remember before I blacked out.

_There is a bright light. God, it was so bright. Daddy and Michael are engulfed by it. Michael stabs Daddy, then the light took over. I cover my sensitive eyes to shield them from the assault to my retinas. Then, I hear laughing; an insane, maniacal laugh. I peek through my fingers and see Michael standing over Daddy's body. He isn't moving. Clouds start to gather and crowd the once clear sky._

"_Kalel, it's okay," Michael coos to me as he takes a step forward. I take a step back. I can feel tears stinging my eyes as I shake my head. "Come here, Kalel."_

"_N-no," I sob as I take another step back. I close my eyes to clear the tears from them. Upon opening them up I see Michael's face in mine. I scream as he reaches out to grab me. Just then, lightening strikes near by. We both jump and I scream. The thunder from that strike temporarily stuns me. I look around afterward to find Michael a few feet away, picking himself up off the ground. He is growling, eyes glaring at me in rage. He rushes toward me again, only to be stopped by another lightening strike; this time it nearly hits him. I close my eyes and scream again. _

_After a few moments, I pry my eyes open and look around. Michael is no where to be found. I shiver. My body has all the sudden become cold. I can feel my lip quiver as the tears return to my eyes. Daddy._

"_Daddy," I cry as I look at his body. I am unsure of what to do. Mommy left me and now I know that Daddy has too. I sit on the ground and gather my legs up to my chest, resting my chin on my knees, and close my eyes. Daddy._

"_Kalel..." I hear a woman whisper. I freeze and my breath catches in my throat. I open my eyes to see a lovely woman in white. Her long hair flows over her shoulders, its silver color shinning as lightening jumps from cloud to cloud. She has fox ears, like mine, and a tail, like mine also. They're as silver and as beautiful as her long hair. The wind begins to blow and the lightening picks up. Her white dress begins to whip around her lithe body. There seems to be a soft white glow around her form, like an aura. It radiates off her. Her piercing silver eyes stare straight into mine and calm me. I am no longer crying when she talks again._

"_Kalel, it will all be okay," she says, her voice seeping into me and calming me more. I nod as she begins to walk towards me. Then, a ringing begins to sound. I try to look around for this sound, but she doesn't seem to hear it. The closer she gets, the louder this appalling sound becomes. I have never heard something so awful in my life. She opens her mouth and speaks, but all I can hear is the ringing. Where the heck is it coming from?_

_She reaches out to me, slender fingers almost touching my face..._

"It's her phone. Should we answer it?_" Who the hell is talking? The ringing continues to get louder._

"Look, it's waking her up!_" I'm trying to open my eyes, but I can't. I can feel myself moving in real life, but I can't seem to shake myself from the dream. Eventually, after a few minutes of struggling and hearing that God awful ringing subside, then return, I start noticing the edges of the dream blur. Then, I wake up._

I open my eyes to bright light. My vision is a bit hazy from sleep, but I am able to make out the images of a hospital. I'm in a hospital? Good, at least I'm still alive. I open my eyes wider and rub them with the back of my hand. I look around. Sitting there, looking at me, are the four strange men from Gabe's house. What the...?

"Hello there. I'm glad you're finally awake," the red head says. If I recall right, he was the one brandishing the whip. He walks over to the side of my bed and gazes down at me with the most beautiful emerald green eyes I have ever seen. His red hair is tied back, but I can still tell it's long and lustrous. I know plenty of females who would die for that kind of hair.

"Where am I? And you mind telling me why you four were at my call?" It comes out as a whisper. My voice is horse.

"You are in a hospital right now. You sustained a pretty serious wound to your abdomen. Don't worry though, it's healing quite well." He states with a smile. Quit dodging my question, Asshole.

"I need-" He cut me off.

"We will answer your questions in time. Right now, you need to focus on healing. And, possibly, calling back whoever keeps your phone ringing?" A long finger points to my phone, which is sitting on the table next to my bed. Another round of ringing began, backing up his statement. Before I could pick it up, he grasps my hand. I looked up at him with a questioning glare.

"If you don't mind, please do not tell your friend everything that happened. Including anything about us. It's important that we stay a secret. We will not hurt you, but it's just easier for everyone involved if you didn't say a thing about us," he requests. Something about the look on his face had me trusting him, even though my police training screams at me to kick his ass, along with the other three asses too. I nod, answering the phone.

"Hello?" I ask, even though I know who it is.

"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?" Jess yells into the phone. I wince as I looked up at the green eyed man and gulp. Jess isn't one who you lie to, but I was going to have to.

"I'm at a hospital, Jess. I'm okay." I try reassuring her, but that doesn't work.

"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?" She yells again. I bring the phone away from my ear for a moment, needing my eardrum to recover.

"Jess, I can't explain right now," I start to say. She cut me off.

"Gabe is in the hospital too. They say they found him in his house, with broken glass everywhere. They say it was a botched robbery. Why didn't you tell me?" She questions, her voice breaking a bit. I looked at the four men standing in my room. They seem to be listening intently to the conversation.

"Jess, I'm sorry. I went to check on him and everything seemed okay. But I discovered people in the house and then things get a bit hazy from there," I lie. I look up to the green eyed man and he nods approvingly. "I honestly don't know exactly what happened, but there were people inside the house. I'm assuming they are the suspects who tried to rob Gabe."

"Kalel, are you okay?" She asks.

"I'm fine. Minor injuries, nothing major," as far as I know, that was the truth. I don't know the extent of my injuries just yet.

"Where did they take you? I want to see you," she asks, worry seeping into her voice.

"I don't think they are letting visitors see me right now. There are still things they are trying to straighten out," I lie again. God, Jess, please believe it. To my relief, she did.

"Okay, hun, please keep me updated." We say our goodbyes and I hang up the phone. I set it in my lap, staring at it for a moment, buying time to get my thoughts in line before I go off the deep end. I need to keep it close to me, just in case I need it to call for help.

"You four need to start answering my questions. Now." I whisper, putting major emphasis on the last word. I look up and meet each of their eyes. Green. Black. Brown. Red? I stop at his eyes, the one who had the sword. His eyes are a deep red and make me shiver, remembering my dream. Michael's eyes are almost the same color. His hair seems to defy gravity with its spikes. He has some kind of white highlights in the front; quite unusual for a male. He is short, but still taller than me, and is wearing all black with a bandana tied securely around his forehead. The sleeves on his shirt are cut off at the shoulders and his pants resemble those worn as training pants. He has no sword at this point in time, but, judging by how he handled that thing, it shouldn't be too far away. He puts me on edge. Something about him makes me very uneasy and my instincts tell me to stay far away from him. Upon seeing my scrutinizing gaze he glares at me and... Growls?

"Kalel, right? Your name is Kalel?" The brown eyed man asks. Thinking back, he was the one shooting light from his finger. And, remembering this, I have convinced myself I am going crazy. Who the hell shoots light from their fingers? He is pretty tall and his hair is slicked back. His green clothes seem to be a uniform of some sort. He looks normal enough.

"Yes," my answer is short and flat.

"I am Yusuke. This is Kurama," motioning to the green eyed man who greeted me first. "Kuwabara," he is the one with the black, beady eyes, and is tallest one out of all four and the one wielding the light saber back at Gabe's house. He is wearing a blue outfit and his orange hair resembles Elvis. "And Hiei," Mr. Red Eyes.

"Okay," I acknowledge his introductions. My patience, however, is becoming increasingly thin, so my reply came out tight.

"We are detectives of sorts, similar to your department's detectives," Yusuke explains. "We investigate abnormal cases. One of our cases just happened to cross paths with yours the other night and, well, things got out of hand just a bit." I laugh. Hard.

"'Just a bit?' That might take the prize of understatement of the year!" I exclaim. He purses his lips.

"You weren't supposed to be there when we were. Those men, they weren't normal," he says.

"Weren't normal? NOTHING about that situation was normal. So, tell me, what exactly where you doing there, huh? What department are you with?" I coax. My patience is really running thin now.

"I will explain, but your reaction will dictate what action we take," Kurama says. I turn to face him, eyes flaming.

"And what exactly does that mean?" I hiss.

"It means if you cannot handle what we have to say, I will own your memories." The one who answered my question was Hiei. Mr. Red Eyes: the one who use to make me feel uneasy. His hard eyes are narrow as he judges my reaction and his penetrating stare makes me shiver. Now, he officially scares the living hell out of me.

_Author's Notes_

_So, we have met the gang._

_I have decided to update AT LEAST once a week. I don't know if it's because this is a new story or if I'm genuinely enthused, but I cannot seem to stop writing. I hope this is a good thing because I can't seem to stop thinking about this story and what I am going to write about next._

_I hope you readers like this new chapter. Thank you to XXX and Shiningheart of ThunderClan for the reviews!_

_Michael, Kaleb, Gabe, Jess, and Kalel are original characters. The Yu Yu Hakusho Characters are not mine._


	3. Surprise, Surprise

**Chapter 2; Surprise, Surprise**

"It means if you cannot handle what we have to say, I will own your memories." The one who answered my question was Hiei. Mr. Red Eyes: the one who use to make me feel uneasy. His hard eyes are narrow as he judges my reaction and his penetrating stare makes me shiver. Now, he officially scares the living hell out of me.

"Excuse me," I ask. Well, it was more of just a statement because I heard what he had just said. I turn around to look at Mr. Red Eyes. "Is that some kind of threat?" He turns his lips up, smirking at me.

"What kind of detectives did you say you were?" I ask, still staring at Hiei. His statement makes me want to punch him in the face.

"I will explain," Kurama states again. "We aren't here to harm you; we just cannot let you go with the memories of what you witnessed in the house if you cannot handle them. We investigate the abnormal. Paranormal, supernatural, use whatever word works for you. You walked in on an active case of ours. Those beings you saw, the ones with the jagged teeth, they were there to recruit your friend." I stare at him for a moment.

"What do you mean 'recruit?'" I question.

"They meant to make him like them," he states simply. I look at him, confused by the information he has given me. "They are not human. Those men were possessed by demons. The creatures eat the human soul and take its place inside the host's body." I stare again. Just a blank stare; then, I laugh. This guy has to have gone crazy. However, when I look at each of their faces, they are staring at me like I'M the one who has lost it.

"You're kidding me, right? Like Hell, Devil, Make-Your-Head-Swivel-On-Your-Neck demons?" I laugh, but they still look at me like I've lost my mind.

"Sort of. Those demons you are talking about were once human souls. They are tortured endlessly until their soul becomes distorted, wholly evil. The ones you saw the other night were born the way they are. Try to think of these demons as another species; similar to humans, but not exactly humans. And just like humans, they have the capacity to be good or bad. The demons you met yesterday chose the second option," he explains. It makes sense. I mean, it's not too far off from reality. But still, demons? Come on! Just then, my room door opens, and in walks two more people. I notice the female first.

"YUKINA!" The one they call Kuwabara screeches. She smiles softly to him. I take this moment to study her. Her hair is most unusual, which is why I notice her first; it's a blue-green color, tied in a low ponytail at the base of her skull. She has large red eyes, similar in color to Hiei's, but much softer. She is small, smaller than me, and she looks very fragile in her kimono.

"Hello Kazuma. I have come here to change her dressings." She states quietly, eyes landing softly on my face. I nod. Is she some kind of nurse? Then, Kurama speaks, answering my unspoken question.

"Yukina is an Ice Maiden; a type of demon. She specializes in healing." My eyes widen and I scooch up the bed and press myself against the headboard, drawing my knees up to shield my stomach.

"H-hey, wait a minute-" I start to say as Yukina crosses the room to stand beside my bed. She gently interrupts me by placing a hand on my knee.

"Please. You just tore your wound open," she whispers, eyes filling with concern. "Just let me help." For some odd reason she makes me want to trust her; her nature is so caring and her eyes are so soft. Reluctantly, I release my legs and move my body down the bed to give her better access to my stomach. I look down and, sure enough, my bandages are beginning to turn red from blood. I also notice my state of undress. The only thing I have to cover my chest is the sports bra I put on before going to work and on my bottom half I have sweat pants on, something I definitely did not dress myself in. Where is my work uniform?

"Hold still," Yukina says softly as she cuts away my soiled bandage. I finally get a good look at my stomach before I squeeze my eyes shut and slam my hand over my mouth. I've never been good with blood, especially with my own. When I have blood taken at the doctors, I've always ran the risk of fainting from seeing it. Just imagine how I feel now as I look down and see the open wound on my stomach a sword made. I'm still wondering how it got through my Kevlar vest in the first place.

"Since this wound goes straight through your body, I have had to heal it from the inside out," she states as she lays her hands on my stomach. I look up at her and open my mouth to reply, but I am cut short from shock. I see a blue light covering my wound. The source of the light is her hands. There is a warm, calming feeling replacing the stinging of my wound as I lie back on the bed and close my eyes again. The feeling is so comforting that I just want to fall asleep right here, but as soon as lay back the feeling is gone. I raise my head to look at my stomach. Nothing more than a shallow cut remains. She asks me to sit up and I oblige. As she changes the gauze covering the wound on my back I become lost in my own mind. How the hell did she do that? It was so deep and now it's just a little more than a scratch. It barely even stings anymore. I look over at her once she is done with my back.

"Thank you," is all I can manage to say. This cannot be real. There is no way this can be real. Not even the best of doctors can take a wound like that and make it almost nothing in a matter of seconds!

"You are welcome," she replies meekly as she nods to the man she came into the room with. I had almost forgotten about him. He is tall, ruffled hair, brown eyes... JR? Why the hell does he have that tattooed on his head? A BINKY? Why the hell is a grown man sucking on a binky? Isn't that what some girls do to let the boys know they can suck?

"Hello Kalel, I am Koenma." He greets, not taking the binky out of his mouth, "I assume the boys have been filling you in on what has happened?" All I can do is nod. Who the hell is this weirdo? "Good, but I have some bad news for everyone," he stops, looking around before continuing. "Upon reviewing the tapes from your case I noticed one of the demons escaped the fight," Koenma turns and looks at me. "So, instead of you staying here until you are back to 100%, you will need to stay here until we can track this demon down. If we let you leave with him still at large, you are in danger and anyone you come into contact with is too."

"Huh?" That s all the reply I can muster as I look at him, mouth slightly ajar. Staying here? For an indefinite amount of time? With people I don't know?

"I'm sorry. We cannot risk you getting hurt because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yusuke, Kuwabara, come with me. Genkai wants to see you," he says. My eyes follow him as he strides out of the room, the two men in tow. I snap my mouth shut, my teeth making a clicking sound as they hit together.

"No."

"It's for your safety. We have a room already prepared for you to stay in while you heal. Now it seems you will be staying longer than expected," Kurama replies. I look over at him.

"Even if I felt safe and actually trusted you people I wouldn't be able to stay here. I don't even know where 'here' is and I have a job that I can't just leave behind," I feel close to panic. I've been trained not to panic, but after all the news I've heard, it's kind of hard not to. I start to hyperventilate.

"Kurama, you might want to calm her down before she passes out," I hear Hiei say. I look up to find him, but he is gone, only Kurama and Yukina remain. My eyes start watering, something they do when I get pissed, making my vision blurry. I feel Kurama's hand on my shoulder.

"Come on, let Yukina show you around," he says, his voice soothing. I nod as I swing my legs over the bed and set them on the floor. Its cold, like the floor of a hospital would be. I get up and follow Yukina out the door and into a long hallway. This is in no way a hospital. Outside the room I was in it looks just like a normal house. A large house, but it's normal. She leads me through the hallway before we enter a kitchen area. Connected to the kitchen is a living room type area. It's not furnished like a normal living room, though. It has a few places to sit, but no television or anything else. Connected to that is another hallway, full of doors. We reach the second on to the left.

"This will be yours. My room is across the hall," Yukina says as she opens the door. The room is large, but simple: A bed, nightstand, dresser, and adjoining bathroom. All the needs and none of the usual clutter you would find in a normal bedroom. I even notice a small television and a stereo. I turn to face her.

"Thank you," I murmur. "But I need clothes. And what about my job?" I ask. She smiles up at me, her eyes wide and soothing.

"We have stocked some basic clothes for you while you were healing. As for your job, they know you are hurt and in the hospital. Just let Koenma handle them. They will keep you safe here," she explains. I still feel uneasy. "I'm sorry."

"What?" I ask. Why is she sorry?

"I know you don't know anyone here. You don't trust anyone either. Please, we are not bad people. The boys, they help people, humans. That's what they do, their job I mean." She tells me quietly. Her head drops, "And us demons, not all of us are bad." With that, she turns and leaves me alone at the threshold of my room. I watch her as she walks down the hallway and disappears into the kitchen. I look back into my room, deciding to investigate the area.

My bed is neatly made; two white pillows, crisp white sheets, and a white comforter clothe it. It sits in the left corner of the square room, a large window overlooking a large training field next to it. Under the window is a nightstand, complete with a digital clock and two drawers. My dresser is against the right wall next to the door leading to the bathroom. Atop it are the TV and the stereo. I go over to it and open some of the drawers; undergarments, tank tops, sweatpants, a pair of jeans, and a sweatshirt. The last drawer I open reveals my uniform. Bloody and torn, but it's there. My Kevlar vest and utility belt lay next to it. Good. Simple. Easy. Things I would already wear if I was back in my apartment. I roam into the bathroom; it's simple, like my bedroom. Toilet, shower with bathtub, sink and a large mirror adorn the area. I look under the sink to find shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and extra towels. I walk back out into my room and just stand there for a moment. Then I hear a knock on my door frame, it's Kurama.

"How is everything?" He asks.

"It's all fine," I reply as I walk over and sit on my bed. He steps into my room.

"I know it's a lot to take in all in one day," he says, green eyes staring straight into mine. I nod. "How is your stomach feeling?" I look down at it, seeing the bandages wrapped around my torso. I frown.

"It's fine, doesn't hurt anymore," I put my hand on it, remembering the warmth I felt as Yukina healed it. "So, it's all real, isn't it?" I ask. After his explanation of the situation, things start to make some sort of sense; why I saw jagged teeth on those perps. It's wasn't my eyes playing tricks on me. It was real.

"Yes," Kurama nods, confirming my realization. I look up at him.

"What are you?" I ask, curious to his answer, wondering if I would get the truth.

"I am complicated. Humans, including my family, know me as Shuiichi Minamino. My friends call me Kurama. I am a fox demon inside a human's body," he explains. I gasp; he is just like those demons at Gabe's house! He must have known what I was thinking because he started explaining further. "In my previous life I was a fox thief named Yoko Kurama. I was killed and my soul fled into the human world, finding a home in an unborn baby. I was born and raised as a human. I am not like those demons, eating the soul of a human and possessing their bodies. I was born into this body." I look at him out of the corner of my eye, wondering if it is the truth. He seems sincere enough. Besides, who could make this shit up? Seriously, who could?

"And the others?" I ask. Kurama smiles a bit.

"Yusuke, he is the lead detective. He is called a Mazuku, a demon sleeper. We did not know this until he was killed during a mission some years back. We thought he was just a human with heighten spiritual awareness until he died. We fought to avenge his death, but come to find out that is what his demon side needed to be born. The demon trait he now possesses was passed down from his ancestral father, a late ruler of the Demon World. It remained dormant until it found a human with power like his," he explains. All this information is going to start frying my brain. I just simply nod a silent gesture for him to continue. "Kuwabara is a human with heightened spiritual awareness. He possesses a higher level of spirit energy than the average human. Hiei is a fire demon. He had a Jagan implanted a long time ago. It is a third eye that has given him several abilities, among of which are various mental abilities and the ability to use The Dragon. I won't go into explaining that right now, though. It's a long and complicated explanation and I'm sure you are on overload right now." He smiles as he looks down at me.

"And Koenma?" I ask. This is my third and final question.

"He is the prince of the Spirit World," Kurama answers, eying me to judge my reaction. I purse my lips together.

"The ruler?" Okay, I lied about the whole final question thing.

"No, his dad is. Koenma just helps. You might say he is our boss, but don't be surprised if he seems to be a bit childish." With that answer, he turns and leaves. I couldn't help but wonder if that last phrase held some significance. He said it in such a peculiar way that made me wonder what the hidden meaning behind it was.

After Kurama closed my door I get up to put a tank top on. I don't think it would be good to wonder around in my sports bra now that my dressings have been changed and my stomach almost healed. After putting on a shirt, I walk over to the window, gazing out to the training field. I wonder if I'm in the clear to run or do something. I turn around and leave my room to find Yukina. However, I didn't run into Yukina, but someone much less warm and comforting.

"And where do you think you are going?" Geez, who let grandma loose? She stands there in front of me, barely reaching my shoulders. Her dull pink hair hangs over her shoulders in waves and her wrinkled face is scowling.

"I need to find Yukina. I want to go outside, but I would think I need her approval, since she's the one healing me," I reply as I eye her warily. She continues scowling.

"You need one of the boys with you at all times, especially now, to show you where you can and cannot go on my grounds," she growls. She walks past me and down the hall. Someone must have spit in her Metamucil this morning. I round the corner to the kitchen to find Yukina doing dishes and Yusuke getting some water.

"Um, Yukina?" She turns to me with a smile, "is it okay for me to go outside and do something. Like run and that stuff?"

"Yea, you should be fine," she replies turning back to the dishes. I look at Yusuke then.

"Do you mind coming with me? I ran into some old lady and she told me I need one of you four with me," I say to Yusuke. His mouth breaks into a large, sideways smile.

"You met Genkai," he says, laughing. I didn't find anything funny, but I nod none the less. "Yeah, I'll go outside with you. I need to get some training in anyways. Hey, maybe I can get Kuwabara to spar with me," he says while bounding off outside. I need shoes.

"Your shoes are by the door," Yukina mentions as if she read my mind. I thank her, put the shoes on, and head outside. Upon walking out there, I follow the fighting sounds and cursing I hear to the right. I find Yusuke and Kuwabara already in the makeshift ring I had seen earlier. I decide to run around the perimeter of the training area, guessing it to be a quarter mile around. Twenty minutes and 2.5 miles later I stop, looking over at the ring and catching my breath. They are still going at it so I decide, since the sun is still high enough, I will shadow box. Shadow boxing is something I have always incorporated into my workouts ever since I started training myself. I enjoy it, a lot.

"Woh, woh, slow down there killer, you might hurt someone," Yusuke says as he walks towards me. I didn't even notice their match was over and that they had been watching me. "Isn't it better to have someone to punch?" I smile and nod as I wipe some sweat from my brow, "do you want a sparing partner?"

"God, yes!" I reply, walking over to the ring. We began grappling; I've always had better ground game. Remembering my still injured stomach, Yusuke was as gentle as he could be. After about twenty minutes of this we stop and sit on the ring floor. I hear sound coming from behind me. Kurama and Kuwabara stand there clapping and Hiei is off a distance. He has been watching too and he looks slightly amused by what he saw.

"Your movements are so fluid!" Kuwabara compliments.

"We were taught a lot of grappling in the Academy. How to get out of holds and how to subdue and that kind of stuff," I say as I stand up. "Ground game has always been my strong point." My legs are a bit shaky. I guess exercising after lying in a bed for a couple days will shock your body. I go back into the house and into my room for a shower.

The night went on as normal as it could. Yukina and Kurama made dinner. I helped clean the kitchen and then everyone went their separate ways. I went into my room and sat there, thinking about the days events.

Just the other day I was at work, my life was okay. I was fine with working, going home, sleeping, and repeat. How did it go from that to being kept at some house/compound for my own 'protection?' I've never needed protection before; from anything. And what about this demon thing? How can it all be real? I mean, I witnessed Yukina's powers first hand. There is no way a human could do that. But this keeps me wondering if this is just some fucked up dream and I will wake up.

I hear a knock at the door and a soft voice behind it. It's Yukina and I let her in.

"How is your stomach?" She asks as I lie on my bed and pull my shirt up for her.

"It's fine. No pain," I answer as she cuts away my bandages. She puts her hands on my abdomen again and I feel that familiar warmth. After a few seconds it fades. I look down and my eyes go wide. There isn't even a scar left. My skin is as smooth as it was before my injury. I look up at her, astonished. She smiles and helps me pull my shirt back down. "Thank you."

She smiles again, "no problem. This is what I do. Whenever one of the boys gets hurt, I heal them." She turns to leave, but stops, "have a good night. You are free from any restriction for working out from now on." I nod my acknowledgment as she takes her leave, closing my door behind her. After switching the stereo on and turning the volume down low I strip my sweatpants off and climb under the covers, bringing them up to my chin. I close my eyes and, despite the day's twists and turns, I fall asleep almost instantly.

"_You will be okay. Get up and dust yourself off so we can try again," the woman in white tells me. This time I am older, a teenager. We are standing in an open field of dirt and she is throwing energy blasts against me._

"_I am tired," I complain. Her mouth smiles, but her eyes do not, and shakes her head._

"_Opponents won't care if you are tired, Kalel." She sends another blast my way. I put my arms up to block it from hitting my body and it knocks me down, digging my back into the ground. After the dust settles I take a deep breath. My body aches and I am tired. I finally pull myself up and sit in my hole, looking at my lady in white. Her dress is clean, despite the fact we are standing in a field of dirt. She has an annoyed look on her face, her silver eyebrows drawn together as she stares at me and sighs. "Okay," she has given in. I get up and we walk to our makeshift house made of vines, which I made it myself._

_The dream then skips forward to the night and I am lying in my cot, looking up at the ceiling. I am alone and I cannot sleep. I cannot stop my mind from wandering to my father. Even though it's been years since his murder I still mourn for him._

"_Daddy," I whisper. I can tell I also said it in real life and not just in my dream. I close my eyes, close to sleep. Then, I smell something; something is burning. I open my eyes to see flames on my roof. I jolt out of bed and run outside. My makeshift home is burning up for no apparent reason. I cannot sense anyone in the darkness. I slowly allow the vines to retract back into the earth, saving some of them from a fiery death. I look around again and still don't sense anyone. What is going on?_

"_Child, what are you doing?" Huh? I turn around to see a figure in the distance. I feel no power coming from them at all. Nothing. That can't be right._

"_Who are you?" I ask, but no reply came. The figure keeps walking towards me. I take a deep breath through my nose, filling my lungs up with air. There is no scent to this person. I take a few steps back._

"_Child?" The figure asks, coming closer still. I can start to make out the features finally. The figure is fairly tall. Long hair, ears like mine. I can see the glint of their eyes in the distance. No. It cannot be._

"_Daddy?" I yell out, but still no response came. He just kept walking forwards._

"_Sweetheart, why are you outside?"_

"_I couldn't sleep, Daddy."_

"_Kalel, you shouldn't be out here this time of night. It's not safe. How long have you been out here?" He walks up to stand in front of me, looking down at me with his gray eyes. My own tear up._

"_I dunno, Daddy. Not long," I smile up at him. He reaches down to me, placing his hands on my shoulders. Then I notice it, a blood stain creeping across his shirt. I gasp and press my hands to the wound, "Dad!" He falls to the ground and I scream, noting I screamed in real life too. Then, she appears next to me, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. I look up at her, eyes filled with tears, some of which have already spilled over onto my cheeks._

"_Why?"_

"_They will use him against you. You must let go of him," came her only reply. I look down again and see Daddy fading away._

Hiei was the first into the room, growling, and sword drawn to cut down the intruder.

A woman in white stood over her bed, arm extended, knuckles gently pressed against Kalel's sobbing face. Her silver hair fell over her shoulders and face, hiding it from view. Her silver fox ears were pinned back and her tail twitched slightly.

"Get away from the woman!" Hiei growled, raising his sword to point at her slender body. She raised her face, silver eyes sizing up the fire demon. She smiled a bit, just enough to show some incisors in a threatening way. She turned back to Kalel, hand dropping to her side, watching the tears slip down the girl's face.

"What have you done to her? She remembers nothing," she whispered, eyes still on Kalel's face.

"What do you mean what have I done to her? You're the one in her bedroom, making her scream and cry as she sleeps," Hiei hissed as he lowered his stance. Just as things began to get heated, Koenma popped up into the room.

"Wait, wait, put down your weapon!" He screeched, arms flailing. He didn't even bother showing up in his adult form and he looked very rushed. Sweat had started to bead on his forehead.

"What is going on?" Hiei demanded. He never lowered his sword as he glared, eyes darting from the woman to Koenma and back again. Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara finally entered the room, glancing at the woman, Hiei, and Koenma.

"What the hell is going on?" Yusuke asked, pointing his finger at the woman standing beside Kalel's bed.

"She is a Spirit, you cannot hurt her," he breathed. Hiei eyed the toddler, confused. "Just put your damn sword down! Yusuke!" Reluctantly, Hiei lowered his sword and Yusuke put his hand back to his side. Koenma turned to look at the Spirit. She was standing straight up now, eying the two men. "Amariah, why are you here?" Koenma asked quietly.

"I finally found her," was Amariah's reply.

"Why did you want to find her?" Koenma asked.

"Kalel is mine. I have been searching for her since she disappeared. She wasn't in the Demon World or the Spirit World, so I looked here. I found her," she looked back down at Kalel's wet face. She was still sobbing, still replaying the memory. Amariah reached down to stroke her face again with the back of her knuckles.

"Kalel is a human, Amariah," Koenma stated, eyes softening as he looked at the Spirit. She somehow had lost her charge and was clearly going mad from it.

"No, she is not. I can sense her. She is mine, she just does not remember," she repeated, looking down to the toddler. He sighed. Just then, everyone noticed the room had become dead silent. All eyes went to Kalel. Her eyes were wide open, staring at the woman standing above her. A second went by, then two. Then she screamed. And screamed.

And screamed...

_Author's Notes_

_Okay, I am really enjoying writing this story. I will start developing Kalel and Hiei's relationship in the next chapter. I'm trying to keep each of the characters original personalities in mind, meaning I don't want to stray to far off of what each Yu Yu character would do/say/whatever. Because of this, Hiei and Kalel's relationship will develop slowly._

_Amariah is a spin off of an old character I have tinkered with in the past. I changed her name and some small characteristics, but largely the character is similar to one I came up with a long time ago. The name Amariah means 'Given by God.' I went through a whole list of names to find one with a meaning close to what her character was. She plays a very significant role in the story, if you haven't already guessed. And she is tied to Michael, in a way._

_Thank you Naitza-Kururugi for your reviews._

_Amariah, Kaleb, and Kalel are original characters. The Yu Yu Hakusho Characters are not mine._


	4. Demon or Not a Demon?

**Chapter 3; Demon or Not a Demon, That is the Question**

"No, she is not. I can sense her. She is mine, she just does not remember," she repeats, looking down to the toddler. He sighs. Just then, everyone notices the room has become dead silent. All eyes go to me. My eyes were wide open, staring at the woman standing above me. A second went by, then two. Then I scream. And scream.

And scream.

The woman Koenma called Amariah looks down at me and smiles before disappearing. I continue screaming. She is the woman from my nightmares. The woman who was there when I saw Michael take the life from the man I called Dad and the woman teaching me in my most recent dream. I thrash in my bed, trying desperately to untangle myself from the covers. Does that mean the dreams are real? I scream and thrash some more. Suddenly, Hiei is on top of me, effectively pinning me down with his hand pressed over my mouth, muffling my screams.

"Shut up!" He growls. I stop screaming and stop moving, but I cannot stop my tears. Those dreams are real. What does that mean for me? This is too much. Way too much. Hiei lets go of my mouth and stands up. I sit up against the wall and look around. Where's Koenma? I heard him... What's with the toddler? I stare at him for a minute.

"I'm Koenma, you met me earlier," it says. Is this what Kurama meant when he said not to be surprised if Koenma seems to be childish? I mentally shrug, should anything about these people surprise me anymore? Besides, there are more weird and pressing things at the moment, demanding attention more than the toddler.

"Where did she go?" I whisper. Hiei looks down at me, but Koenma answers my question.

"No one knows where they go when they disappear. She could be anywhere or nowhere." Great.

"What does this mean?" What does it mean for me and my situation? He knows what I was asking.

"You have a Spirit attached to you. There have only been a handful of cases known where someone has a Spirit attached to them. However, all the cases deal with demons. No human cases have ever been reported," I gulp. "Spirits do not leave until their charge has lived out their purpose and their life." So I'm stuck with her? I'm stuck with some woman I don't even know? I'm stuck with the reason behind my reoccurring nightmares, or memories, or whatever the fuck they are?

"Why?" Kurama answers this question.

"I have met one, once, a long time ago. Supposedly they attach themselves to a demon's soul who needs to be kept alive, for whatever reason. Good or bad. They seem to be a neutral entity, not really siding with anyone. Their origin is unknown, but they seem to have connections with a higher power." My vision begins to spin. Does this mean...

"So, since there has never been a record of a Spirit attaching themselves to a human, does that mean..." Yusuke's question trailed off into the silence of the room. They all glanced at me and I feel my lip quiver.

"We don't know what it means right now. For all we know you could just resemble her charge. Spirits are hardwired to stick by the soul they attach to. If that soul was lost for some reason, the theory is they become crazed, forever seeking their lost charge. You could resemble her charge so much that she mistakes you for her," Koenma answers. I can only hope that is what has happened. But it still doesn't explain the dreams/memories. I look over at the clock. 0200. Fuck. The hour means I have to go back to sleep, which is the last thing I want to do.

"Someone needs to stay in here to watch Kalel, just in case she comes back," Kurama suggests. Koenma nods in agreement, looking around at all the guys.

"Hiei, you don't need to pack for the return to school. Stay in here; make sure she doesn't freak out. Just... just don't try to kill Amariah please," Koenma says. I can see Hiei's eyes widen.

"WHAT?" Geez, is staying in the same room with me that bad?

"Just do it, Hiei." With that, Koenma disappears. The rest of the boys look at each other and shrug, knowing there was nothing more that could be done except for sleep. They all leave, except for Hiei, closing the door behind them. Hiei settles on my window seal, facing me, and leans back against the wall. I lay down, flipping over so my back faces him. I close my eyes, but sleep doesn't not come easily. I sigh.

"Do you want a blanket or a pillow? Or something?" I ask him as I twist myself to stare at him.

"No," comed his short reply. He didn't even open his eyes. I stare at him for a moment longer.

"Are you sure? You don't look very comfortable," still, no movement as he answers me.

"Go to sleep," he growls. I sigh and twist back around, back now facing him again.

"I can't," I reply. I hear swift movement. I turn to look at where he sat, but I was met with his red irises. He is staring straight into my eyes. I breathe sharply, his scent filling my nose. He smells like a bon fire, but in a good way and, strangely enough, I catch a bit of vanilla. A warm scent. I can see a soft glow from under his bandana as he reaches up and touches a finger to my forehead. I feel dizzy, my vision swimming.

"There," is the last word I hear before I slip into sleep's embrace.

"_Kalel, sweetheart, your flower is dying," I look up at Daddy. He is smiling down at me. I turn back to my rose and sniffle. I worked hard to plant the seeds for this rose and now, right before my eyes, it is wilting. I reach out to touch it. My little fingers playing with the delicate petals, trying to will energy and life into them. They start to crumble in my fingers._

"_Daddy," I whimper. "Don't let it die, Daddy," huge tears are now falling down my cheeks. My younger self is losing it over a plant._

"_It's okay. You will learn eventually," he whispers as he reaches down and places a finger gently on the top of the bud. Suddenly, the flower straightens itself out and its petals return to their former bright red. I sniffle and wipe the snot from below my nose with the back of my hand. I reach out again to touch the flower. Its petals are now like velvet in between my fingers. I smile a bit as I look up at Daddy's face. His face is the last thing I see before I wake._

I open my eyes. There isn't much light coming in from my window. Remembering I have a guest, I quickly turn to look at the window. Hiei is still there, snoring, with this mouth slightly open. He is laid out on my window seal, one leg up and resting on the window while the other dangles down off his perch. His arms are crossed and lying across his lap and his head is cocked back, resting against the sliver of wall he is slouched against. It is a pretty odd position... Well, now that I think about it, it is a pretty odd place to sleep. I would have made him a pallet or something. He didn't have to sleep on the window ledge.

I look at the clock. 0600. I don't want to sleep anymore. I quietly get up and slip into the bathroom, silently closing the door behind me. I'm thinking a shower would do me well. It will help wash off all of the emotions from a few hours ago. Upon turning on the water, I strip off my tank and underwear, and fish under the sink for the shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and a towel. After that, I step into the shower and let the water run over my head and down my body. I wash and condition my hair and begin washing my body. It is sore from the previous day's workout. Upon stepping out of the shower I tie the towel around my body and I walk over to the mirror. I am not a fan of long showers, but even with my quick shower the mirror has fogged up from the heat. I wipe off the steam and stare at my reflection.

If Amariah and things like her don't attach to humans, what does that say about what I am? Am I something other than human or is Koenma right in his assumption that Amariah has gone crazy and attached herself to me? The person in the mirror looks normal enough; nothing special. Other than the crazy dreams I have, there is nothing out of the ordinary about me or my memories. I am a hard working woman with parents who have passed. No brothers or sisters and a normal childhood with normal childhood memories. I live with my roommate and best friend, Jess. We work at the same department, though she is on days and I am on nights. I go to work, come home, eat, sleep, and repeat. How could I be something other than human? Wouldn't I remember it? And if I am really human, what about me is so similar to Amariah's charge that she mistakes me for her? I look away from the mirror and glance around the bathroom.

"Damn it, clothes," I mutter as I wrap the towel around me tighter and open the bathroom door. I peek my head out of the door to make sure Hiei is still asleep. Yep, right where I left you. I tip toe out of the bathroom and open my drawers, getting my necessary pieces of clothing before turning back to the bathroom.

"Why are you awake?" I hear his voice, low and sleepy. I stop and turn around, gripping my clothes to my chest. His eyes are open and they are staring at me. His head is still cocked back and resting on the wall, but his face is turned toward me. I can see slight confusion written on his face. I'm good at reading people.

"I needed a shower," I reply. He pushes his legs off the ledge and they dangle below him. He straightens his back then rests his elbows on his knees, chin in his hands and continues to stare at me, his face now blank. I take a step back from him, toward the bathroom.

"I put you into a deep sleep. You are not supposed to be awake right now. You weren't even suppose to dream. Yet you did, didn't you?" He questions, "I heard you mumbling in your sleep." I gulp. He put me to sleep? Then I remember Kurama explaining Hiei's abilities to me.

"_... Hiei is a fire demon. He had a Jagan implanted a long time ago. It is a third eye that has given him several abilities, among of which are various mental abilities and the ability to use The Dragon. I won't go into explaining that right now, though."_ I remember Kurama tell me. So, one of his abilities is to put people to sleep?

"Yes, one of many," he answers my unspoken question. My breath catches in my throat. My thoughts aren't even safe? I turn around and rush into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. Quickly, concentrating on not thinking about anything in particular, I dress myself in a tank and sweatpants. I turn around and open the door again. I stick my head out into my bedroom and look around. Hiei is gone. Thank God. Leaving the door open, I turn and look at myself in the mirror, combing my fingers through my hair. Oddly enough, I look pretty normal. I do not have the circles under my eyes I might have expected from earlier. My skin is pretty bright. I guess the sleep Hiei put me in gave me the rest I needed to recuperate. I guess that's the only helpful ability he has.

I decide to go to the kitchen. I can feel my stomach growling, telling me it's hungry. Upon entering the kitchen, I find Yukina starting breakfast. She looks up from the skillet and smiles at me.

"You're up early," she says and I nod.

"I couldn't stay asleep any longer," I reply, going over to the fridge and pouring myself a glass of orange juice.

"I heard what happened earlier this morning. Are you okay?" She asks. I turn to look at her. She is facing me now, fully ignoring what she is cooking in the skillet.

"I am fine. Confused, but fine," I answer. She nods and turns back to the food, flipping the contents of the skillet. Kurama and Yusuke enter the kitchen a few moments later. Yusuke has a disheveled appearance. His hair isn't slicked back in its usual style and his clothes are wrinkled. Kurama, on the other hand, was well put together. His hair was tied back as usual and he was wearing his pink school uniform.

"How are you today?" Kurama asks, stepping over to the sink. He reaches up to touch a wilting ivy plant, picking up its leaves gently. Suddenly, the ivy seems to come back to life, its leaves obtaining a bright green color. I stand there, gawking, remembering the dream I had. He did almost exactly what Dad did. I stand there, eyes on the healed ivy. Kurama turns to look at me, wondering why I didn't answer. "Kalel?"

"What did you do?" I ask, still looking at the ivy. He gives me a puzzled look.

"What do you mean?" He asks. I point to the plant, "what did I do to the ivy? I healed it. It was wilting and dying, so I brought it back. It's one of my abilities. Why?" I finally look at him.

"I had a dream this morning. The man in that dream did something similar to a rose," I answer. I see his brow furrow. Then, he glances behind me. I turn to see Hiei standing in the doorway, no shirt and a towel draped around his neck. His hair was still dripping a bit from his shower. I stare at him for a minute. His body is the body of a fighter, chiseled and strong. Wait, what? Not what I need to be thinking about right now. I gulp, turning to face Kurama again.

"Tell me about this dream," Kurama urges.

"I am a little girl and I am crying over a wilting rose that I cannot bring back to life. My dad walks in, touches the rose and it comes back to life. That's it," I say, relaying the dream to him.

"What did your dad look like?" Kurama asks. Now, everyone in the kitchen is listening.

"Silver eyes, long black hair, and fox ears. That's really all I know from that dream. I have seen him before though. In previous dreams," I tell them.

"They're memories," I look at Kurama.

"I don't have any memories like that," I counter. He shakes his head.

"It doesn't matter. Either Amariah has awakened them or she is unconsciously planting them," Kurama explains. I hear movement behind me and I turn to face the sounds. Hiei's eyes meet mine, once again, and he puts his first two fingers against my forehead.

"What the-" I am cut off. I can feel something moving around in my head. Not literally in my head, but the movement is in my mind, like it's sifting through thoughts and images.

"They aren't planted," Hiei says, dropping his hand back to his side.

"Why didn't you tell us about these dreams before?" Kurama asks. I shrug.

"I didn't think they were relevant. I have had these dreams before I ever met you and certainly before Amariah," I tell him. They aren't planted? So that means they are real. They're real.

"We need to inform Koenma," Kurama says, turning to face Yusuke.

"Wait, what does it mean?" I ask quickly. Yusuke looks over Kurama's shoulder, his brown eyes landing on my face, answering my question.

"I think you know," he says. He turns around and walks out of the room, Kurama right behind him. Now I am left in the kitchen with Hiei and Yukina. They both are staring at me.

Then, everything goes black and I fall. Hello Face, meet Floor.

I must have been out for only a few minutes because one: no new memories and two: I'm still in the kitchen. I open my eyes and see Yukina bending over me. Kuwabara arrived somewhere between me hitting the floor and waking up. He is currently holding my legs straight up in the air, allowing blood to flow out of them. Geez, Kalel, lock your knees much? I know never to do that!

"Are you okay?" Yukina asks me and I nod, but instantly regretting the gesture. I grip my head and squeeze my eyes shut. My head is throbbing; I must have hit it when I passed out. Yukina gently pries my hands off my head and replaces them with her own. I feel the familiar warmth in my skull from her healing powers. "There," she says and I open my eyes again. As good as new. Well, almost.

"Don't you know you should never lock your knees?" Kuwabara asks me. Well, duh, I do. I just kinda... Forgot.

"Yeah, I know," I reply as he sets my feet back down on the floor. With Yukina's help, I slowly sit up and take a look around. Hiei is in the corner of the kitchen, watching the situation with a blank stare. If I didn't know any better, I would say there was amusement peeking through his eyes. I have the feeling he doesn't like me very much so I can imagine he is getting some kind of entertainment from this.

"Kurama and Yusuke should be back with Koenma any minute. It doesn't take very long to get to Spirit World and back," Kuwabara says, helping me into a chair. Almost as he is done relaying this information to me, the three men walk through the kitchen door, followed by Grandma. I think Yusuke called her Genkai.

"So," Koenma says. "Tell me about these dreams of yours."

Within the next ten minutes I relay everything: the dream where my dad dies, about Amariah, and about the wilted rose. Then, Koenma consults Hiei who confirms, once again, the dreams are memories and have not been planted.

"Well, we need to figure out what's going on, but we don't really have the time right now. We need a plan how we are going to do this and the boys need to get to school," Koenma says after hearing all the information. "I'll go back to search on any info on who you were when Amariah was with you and how you disappeared," he says. Then, he literally pops out of the room. Like what happens on 'I Dream of Jeannie.' Genkai turns toward me.

"If you have any more memories surface in the meantime, tell Hiei. He might be able to help," and, with that, she strides out of the room.

The rest of the day goes on as though nothing happened. I help Yukina finish preparing breakfast. After that, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama head off to their schools. I go outside and 'get active' a little bit. Just a bit of running and the standard push ups, sit ups, and all that jazz. Body weight exercises basically. Showering and then helping clean the compound. Later on in the day, the boys return to no news. I help Yukina prepare dinner for everyone. Then, I head off to my room.

After closing my door, I lean my head against it, thinking about this morning's events. So much has changed... So much is weird. I push myself off the door and walk over to my stereo, turning on some light music. I open my window then I sit in the middle of my floor to begin stretching. Some yoga will do the trick. Yoga always clears the mind and relaxes the body. A few minutes into my stretching I feel a presents in the room. You know how you can feel that you are not alone, like someone's watching you? The one feeling that makes the hair on your neck stand straight up? Yeah, that's the feeling I got.

Arching my back, I bring my hands up and over my head and plant them behind me, effectively pulling my body into a bridge. I look up at my window and see Hiei sitting on the ledge, looking down at me with one eyebrow cocked up. He startles me and I fall out of my back bend.

"What?" I ask him. His face begins to look peeved.

"I'm on babysitting duty, remember?" He answers, making himself more comfortable on the window ledge.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking? Or, better yet, coming into a room the normal way? You know, like using a door?" I ask as I stand up. I didn't wait for his answer as I fall into my back bend again. I press my toes into the floor and raise my heels to gain more height as I stretch my abdomen.

"Hn," I hear. That must be his reply. I lift one of my legs and flex it in the air, pointing my toes.

"Why don't you talk?" I ask, lowering my leg and raising the other. I look at him, his upside down face is impassive, like always.

"Because I have nothing to say," his voice is monotone as he answers.

"Why don't you go away? You are clearly bored and you don't strike me as the person to follow orders," I ask, gently taking myself out of my pose. There is no reason to try continuing yoga if I have to talk. You cannot clear your mind and talk at the same time. At least, I can't. I face him and sit on the ground. Hiei just looks at me and does not answer my question. "So, you're just going to sit there and do nothing?" I ask him. He continues to stare at me.

"I am waiting on more memories," he states, looking very unenthused at my questioning.

"Well, you're not going to get any right now. They only come when-" I'm asleep. But I stop myself from saying the last part when I remember what happened at 0200 this morning. Hiei has the power to make me go to sleep. I stare warily at him. I know he caught the last part though. He can read minds. "Do you want me to make you a bed or something? Or at least get you a blanket and a pillow? You seemed uncomfortable last night," I ask, changing the subject.

"No," comes his reply as he situates himself on the ledge for sleep. He kept the window open. It was a nice night out and I'm sure it gives him a little more room to have the window open. Then, I notice he has his sword with him. It is leaning against the wall beneath him, not out of his reach. Why does he need that thing? "Just in case," he answers my question. I glare at him.

"It's not nice to invade peoples' minds like that," I say as I walk over and flip the light switch, turning the room dark. I crawl into bed, slipping under the covers and taking my sweatpants off. I discard the bottoms on the floor and turn my back to the man at my window.

"You leave your mind open, like a book. It's hard NOT to read it," Hiei replies. I sigh.

"Then try harder," comes my response as I drifted to sleep.

_The sun was bright as we walks in the woods. The trees and their leaves gave almost no protection to the sun's beaming rays. I look over to Amariah, who is silently gliding next to me. Every step she takes causes the foliage beneath her to rapidly grow then retreat as her foot lifts._

"_You have not seen any sign of Michael lately, have you?" I ask as we walk. My skin pick up the slight noise she makes as she shakes her head._

"_No, he has been laying low. I believe he may be planning," she replies as we near a stream. She stops at the shore line, but I continue walking until I am standing knee deep in the cool water. I turn to face her. She looks like an angel, standing at the shore in her white dress. She still has the faint glow around her, the same one I saw the first night we met. Vines slowly wrap around her lower legs, seeking the energy she gives off._

"_Hm," is my answer as I lower myself to the water's surface. I allow my hands to slip below its surface, bringing handfuls of water up to my face, washing it._

"_We must be leaving soon," she whispers. I nod my reply as I take the last handful of water and drink it down. It is refreshing. _

_Suddenly, the forest around us becomes silent; not even insects make a noise. My ears are up and on full alert. They seek vibrations as I scan the area. Nothing. I look over to Amariah, whose ears, in contrast to mine, are pinned down. She begins walking toward me, feet never sinking below the water's surface. She stops a few inches from me and puts her palm on my forehead._

"_What-" I feel a twinge in my mind. I look around her arm to her face. I can see it is pensive. I frown. Then, I notice her glow is disappearing. "What are you doing?" I whisper._

"_Use this," was her answer. I hear footsteps behind her. I can tell they stopped at the waters edge._

"_Well, you two were easy to find," a low, masculine voice says. No way. After the glow in Amariah's body fades away, she turns to the voice, growling, "Michael will be pleased." Amariah steps out of my line of sight and I see him. He is a tall demon, his brown hair cut short and his eyes are narrow brown slits on his face. His rounded canine ears are standing straight up on his head, his tail swishes behind him eagerly._

"_Alright, Fido, walk away and you will be spared your life," I tell him, but Amariah's reaction isn't what I expected._

"_Kalel, show respect," she growls. I glance at her with a questioning look. "This is Baethan, prince of the Dog Demons." I look at the dog. This is their prince?_

"_That's right. Show respect," Baethan mimics Amariah. She looks at him with a mask-like face._

"_What do you want, Prince?" She asks, not amused by the situation at all._

"_Well, her, of course," he answers, pointing to me. "Michael said if I bring her back, he would take her as payment for granting my wish," he says as he licks his lips. My eyebrows shoot skyward in relative surprise and amusement. He sent a prince to do his dirty work? Well, I guess it would make sense. The dirty mutts have always had a beef with my kind._

"_You know I cannot allow you to take her," Amariah counters. He smiles and wrings his hands together._

"_That's okay. Michael said you would say that, so he told me to kill you," Baethan answers and shoves his hands into his pocket, pulling out a blade. I recognize it as the very same blade that killed my father. I growl at him and spread my feet wide, lowering myself into a fighting stance. Just before Baethan attacks, time seems to slow. Amariah spins around quickly, summoning a portal, and shoves me into it. I scream as I fall into the black hole._

Hiei is beside my bed in an instant, covering my mouth and waking me from my dream.

"Shh," he whispers, pulling me up and towards his chest as he backs himself against the wall behind my bed. I can see the other hand holds his sword, drawn and ready to work. What the hell is going on?

_'Someone is outside,'_ comes a reply into my head. His voice was soft and quiet, but it was there. Who would be lurking outside at this hour?

_'One who looks for you,' Hiei_ says. The guy from Gabe's house who escaped?

_'Most likely,' _I swallow. I can tell Hiei is looking toward the window. He is holding my mouth closed with his right hand and pressing my back into his chest. His own back is flat against the wall and his left arm is extended along it also, holding his sword out. I have no choice but to look forward, my head is stationary, so I stop trying to strain my eyes to look at the window. As I look forward, I can see the faint outline of a woman standing at the foot of my bed. I hold my breath. Amariah.

Upon hearing her name in my mind, Hiei's head swivels to look also. Sure enough, my eyes aren't playing tricks on me. I know this because I can feel a growl bubbling in Hiei's chest. Amariah smiles as her figure becomes more opaque and real.

"He is, indeed, looking for you. He is doing it for Michael..."

_Author's Notes_

_This story is becoming slightly harder to write. I am a huge Kurama fan, so it is a bit difficult to write a story focused on Hiei. I will try not to get off track, but if I do, forgive me. I have spent so much time finding characters Kurama would want that I never thought about Hiei. So, this is a first. I know Hiei's personality, but I have never developed a character for him until now._

_Baethan means 'Foolish.' I figured it would fit him, since he is dabbling with Michael._

_Thank you to Nani San for your review. Also, thank you to those who have favorited the story or put it on your Story Alert list._

_Kaleb, Amariah, Kalel, Michael, and Baethan are original characters. The Yu Yu Hakusho characters are not mine._


	5. Kalel

**Chapter 4; Kalel**

Amariah.

Upon hearing her name in my mind, Hiei's head swivels to look also. Sure enough, my eyes aren't playing tricks on me. I know this because I can feel a growl bubbling in Hiei's chest. Amariah smiles as her figure becomes more opaque and real.

"He is, indeed, looking for you. He is doing it for Michael. You look so similar to your true form that it is too easy to identify you," she says. I can hear the growl that had been bubbling in Hiei's chest escape his mouth. I imagine his lips are pulled back, showing his teeth, because the growl came out almost as a snarl. "Now, there is no need for that," Amariah whispers to Hiei.

"Go away," Hiei growls to her as he clenches me tighter to his chest. I can feel his fingers digging into my cheeks. I have a feeling they will leave bruises. Amariah shakes her head.

"I can't. You should already know that. I felt Koenma and Kurama explained thoroughly enough. You should have listened to their explanations a bit better," she says, smiling at him. I put my hands over the one Hiei has covering my mouth and dig my fingers in between it and my face. I try to pull his hand away from my mouth. He allows me to, lifting his hand up, but placing it back down on my collar bone. He keeps pressure on it as if he thinks I will float away from him if he doesn't keep me grounded.

"What do you want?" I ask, keeping my voice quiet. I felt it was necessary, since there was someone creeping around outside and the two beings in my room were keeping it down also. Amariah eyes flutter to my face. They are warm and inviting, almost gentle. She was never this way in my dreams. She doesn't seem too worried about anyone feelings but mine. Is she trying to gain my trust?

"To protect you. But I will be needing the rest of my powers back first," she replies. I look up at her with a questioning gaze. She takes a step forward towards me. Hiei growls and in a span of a second I go from in front of him, staring at Amariah, to my face pressed against the wall. Hiei is in front of me, but has a hand behind him that he is using to keep me against the wall. His hand is warm on the center of my back. I can see what is happening out of the corner of my eye by retching my neck around and pressing my lead shoulder out a bit. Hiei's sword is pointed in Amariah's direction. She just smiles at him, reaches across the bed we are standing on, and places her index finger on the tip of his sword. The blade starts to shimmer and liquefy, falling to the bed below as little metal beads. The air becomes thick, like a fog without the visibility problems, as Hiei drops his sword and lifts his hand. I can see it is straining for some reason, his fingers curled and tense. What the hell? Then, Hiei is against the wall running length wise against my bed, pushed up by an unseen force. I fall backwards from the lack of support on my back. I catch myself and turn to face the woman.

"Let me down!" He growls, visibly struggling, but getting no where. Amariah's face is serious, something I have only seen in my dreams.

"You were summoning the Darkness Flame. You are getting in between me and Kalel!" She bellows, eyes seeming to glow in the dark. "I cannot allow that! I need to protect her!" She adds as she steps up onto the bed and crawls towards me. She stands up in front of me and brings her face close to mine, nose to nose. She pins my shoulders against the wall with her hands. I can hear Hiei growling.

"H-hey now, I don't swing that way," I try to say, but it comes out barely louder than a whisper. She smiles again.

"My powers served as a shield for you and that shield is about to be taken away. Once I take my powers back, you will be vulnerable. They will automatically know where you are. You will be you again, but at the cost of giving away your position. It's okay though, I'm here." With that, she presses her face even closer, lips almost brushing mine, and takes in a deep breath through her open mouth. I squeeze my eyes closed. Nothing happened, at first. Then, I feel something coming up the back of my throat. I've smoked a cigarette before, but only once, as a dare. I would liken the feeling of the stuff coming up my throat to that kind of smoke. I open my eyes to see hers staring back at me. They seem to glow even more than they were a minute ago. I hear the door to my room open and instinctively know its Kurama, even though I cannot see past Amariah's eyes. Hiei's voice confirms it's him.

"Don't just stand there, Kurama!" Hiei snarls, but no one does anything. Kurama continues to stand just outside the threshold of my room.

"I cannot interfere," Kurama replies. I am feeling extremely lightheaded and euphoric, similar to a tobacco 'high.' You know, that nice sensation you get in your body after you smoke a cigarette or chew tobacco for the first time; the one that makes you totally relax and sleepy. The difference is this feeling is way more intense than any first time tobacco use. I can feel my eyes drooping shut as I try to stay conscious. I know I am fighting a loosing battle, but I cannot help it. As soon as Amariah pulls back from me I see the last bit of what she pulled from me enter into her mouth. She looked like she was slurping spaghetti or something, except it was more fog like. Then, I lose my battle.

OoO

Amariah grabbed Kalel as she collapsed, gently easing her to the bed. Simultaneously, she released Hiei from her power grip and looked at him. He had landed gracefully on the bed, about ready to attack her. She raised a hand. He stopped; glaring at her with is shinning red eyes. Any normal person would have shrunk back from such a glare, but Amariah was unaffected.

"I will be seeing you around. I suggest you take care of Kalel. She will, undoubtedly, have some questions," and, with those parting words, she disappeared into thin air. Hiei growled after her, though he knew she probably didn't hear it. If she did, she probably didn't care. He looked at Kurama, about to start yelling, when he caught sight of the look on the fox's face. He was staring strangely at Kalel. Hiei turned and looked at the woman lying on the bed in a heap of skin, clothing, and blankets.

"What the hell?" Hiei whispered. Kurama came over to the bed and helped Hiei right her. She was wearing the same clothes she had gone to bed in: a tank top and underwear. However, her hair was no longer the short, dull brown it had been. It was now long, passing a few inches below her shoulder blades, and it was black. Glossy, rich black. Gone were her human ears, replaced with a pair of black fox ears that were now folded back on the top of her head. When they had moved her, they noticed a long tail, same color as her hair. Her facial features were the same though. Her skin was still the pale it was before. She was the same looking Kalel, plus some hair, ears, and a tail. There was no question now as to the meanings of her 'dreams.' They had, indeed, been surfaced memories.

"Amariah said the person outside was searching because of Michael. It is very obvious they could have identified her by her looks alone. She looks almost no different now than she did before," Kurama said just as Yusuke and Kuwabara entered the room. They, no doubt, felt the shift of power.

"What happened?" Yusuke asked, rubbing his eyes as he looked at the woman laid out on the bed. Hiei looked at him, fire in his eyes.

"That bitch pinned me against the wall and took _her_ power out of Kalel. This is Kalel's real form," Hiei answered. Yusuke and Kuwabara started laughing.

"Shrimp got overpowered by a girl!" Kuwabara screeched as he laughed. A tick worked in Hiei's jaw as he glared fiery daggers at Kuwabara.

"That's not the issue here," Kurama said. "Apparently, when Amariah took her powers back, it broke down the shield over Kalel." Yusuke gave the fox demon a questioning stare.

"Meaning?" He asked. Hiei turned to face the spirit detective.

"Meaning, if he wishes, this Michael guy can track Kalel down," Hiei answered, looking back at Kalel. She looked peaceful, not pained like she usually did when she slept. She was not mumbling or groaning or sweating. She just lay there, barely moving, sleeping. The room was silent, save the sound of her breathing. A few moments passed before someone broke the silence.

"I cannot sense the person outside anymore. I have a feeling Amariah took care of him," Kurama said, breaking the silence. Yusuke nodded.

"I felt something, but the energy signature was so weak I wasn't sure if I really felt it or not," Yusuke said, yawning afterward. "I'm guessing we're good for now," Kurama nodded. The detective turned around and headed back to his room. Kuwabara followed suit. Kurama turned his eyes to Hiei. His emerald gaze held Hiei's crimson one in mutual understanding.

"Just keep an eye on her. She might be scared when she wakes up," he said to the fire demon before he took his own leave, going back to his room to sleep the remaining few hours he had until he would wake for school. Hiei covered Kalel before he took up his usual perch on the window ledge. He set the remainder of his sword on the night stand and the rest of the sword rested on the ground below the bed in a pile of metal beads. They had been knocked off the bed when Kalel was situated on the bed. Hiei situated himself on the window ledge. He sat there, eying the woman for a moment, reluctant to fall asleep. His dreams were not pleasant. Death and destruction are never pleasant, but it was the norm for him. These dreams were slowly eating away at him, at his soul. He wasn't too sure how long he would last. Life had become tedious, his thoughts and dreams slowly taking over him, and he was unable to escape. Finally, after a while, he drifted into a light sleep.

"_Why are you here with me?" I ask as I look to Amariah, "I've known you for all these years, but I have never known why you are here." She looks at me; surprise plasters itself all over her face. I have questioned her, many times, but never why she was here. She has helped me thru so much and I have thanked her many times, but I never asked why. I figured she had her own agenda. But now, I think it's time to know. I think I'm now privy to that information. Or, at least, I should be. She has been there for me since I was six years old. She is the mother I never knew, the father who could no longer protect me, the sister I never had, and the friend I should never ask for. And I have never known why._

"_Because you have no one else," comes her half-assed reply._

"_A lot of demons have no one else. A lot of demons are abandoned, orphaned, or forsaken. My situation is no more special than any other. So that is not a reason," I counter. I see her ears pin themselves back on her head and her tail tuck a bit as she turns to look out at the tree line, watching the sunset. As the sun slowly set its rays cast eerie hues of purple, pink, and blue across the Demon World's sky._

"_I guess I should have expected you to ask that question sooner or later," Amariah says as I look at her. She closes her eyes, seeming to soak up the last bit of rays as the sun finally dips below the tree line. I step in front of her and look to her face. My eyes hold little emotion, a silent urging for her to continue. She opens her eyes and looks down at me, gray meeting silver._

"_Please," I whisper, a plea. I don't know why I want to know so badly. It feels like my very existence depends on whether or not I receive this knowledge._

"_You have an important role to play and I was sent here to protect you," she answers. I raise an eyebrow._

"_Okay?" It wasn't so much of a question as it was a push for her to tell more._

"_'Thy will be sent to protect life. Teetering will her charge be, leaning over the edge. Death to her and failure too, will result in destruction of fifty score souls and more; human and demon alike,'" she tells me. I cock my eyebrow again. Seriously?_

"_You sound like you are reciting a prophecy from some sappy novel," I retort, turning on my heels and striding forward. She did not follow. I stop and turn around, staring at her with a questioning glance._

"_I am not joking. You will have to save someone or thousands will die. The effect won't be immediate, but it will soon add up," she says. I sigh._

"_And who sent you?" I ask, humoring her._

"_I do not know exactly. I just know my purpose." I stand there and listen. She does not know who sent her? Then why is she continuing to obey them? "I do not question when lives are at stake," she must have known what I was thinking. I sigh again. I can feel consciousness creeping up behind me. With that last thought, the dream fades away._

I open my eyes. I see a ceiling. I feel a bed beneath me. I am warm from the covers draped over my body. I can see just the faintest rays of light penetrating the room. I take a deep breath and smell vanilla and firewood. I turn my face towards a window in the room. There is a man sitting on its ledge. His mouth is slightly open and his head is tilted back, resting on the window frame. WHERE THE HELL AM I?

OoO

Light was just starting to filter in as the sun began its journey across the sky. The room was filled with a gentle glow; trees were casting dancing shadows into the room. Kalel shot up out of bed alarmed and looking around. Her ears were pinned back and her tail was tucked snuggly in between her legs. Her gray eyes were wide with fear, making her look more like a trapped animal than her normal self. She hissed. The noise awoke Hiei.

He sat straight up on the ledge as he looked at her. She was huddled on her bed, back in the corner of the wall it sat against. Her covers had been kicked off to the edge of the bed and her legs drawn up to her chest. Hiei stood up from his seat on the ledge and walked towards the bed. He could feel her energy rise with every movement he made. When he came to stand next to the bed, directly in front of her, you could almost touch the energy circling around her. Kalel's hand shot towards Hiei, palm out and flat, and fingers together, as if to say stop. But Hiei knew better. He side stepped just in time to dodge a string of fire. She pointed her palm at him again, and again he dodged her attack. He growled at her as he danced around the room to avoid getting hit. She wielded the fire like a whip.

"Kalel," Hiei growled as he dodged another snap of her fire whip. He could see her eyes widen from shock and fear.

"How do you know me? Get away!" She screamed and tucked herself together even more. She looked just like a cornered animal. Kurama burst into the room moments later.

"Hiei!" Kurama said. Kalel's whip snapped just below his feet and he jumped back, "what's going on?"

"I don't know!" Hiei replied as he dove to the side to escape another crack of the fire.

"Stop cornering her!" Kurama said as he jumped out of the room. Hiei followed.

"I didn't!" He growled, "she woke up like this. Where's the detective?"

"School. I felt it necessary to stay behind since she's a fox too. Seems like I made the right choice," Kurama whispered as he peeked around the door jam to catch a glimpse of Kalel. The covers were strewn off the bed and scattered around the room haphazardly. She was sitting on her bunk, legs drawn up and arms wrapped around them. She was snuggled into the corner. Her eyes were big and her hair was a mess. She looked wild, completely feral. She growled when she caught sight of Kurama's green eyes looking at her. He smiled with his eyes, trying to calm her somewhat. It didn't seem to work.

"I don't think she knows who we are anymore," Kurama stated as he retreated from the threshold. "It looks like Amariah took a little more than her powers from Kalel."

"What are we going to do?"

_Author's Notes_

_So, we know a little bit more about Kalel and Amariah. Kalel is a savior and Amariah is a guardian... What can possibly happen next? =)_

_I apologize for the shortness of the chapter. It was hard to find an appropriate stopping point._

_Thank you pyrosnightmare, nanisan1955, wolvesrain17, and Kagome141414 for your reviews. Also, thank you to those who added this story to their favorites, story alert, or added me as a favorite author/alert author. I appreciate it and I appreciate seeing the feedback through favoriting or reviewing. It keeps me going with this story. Like I said, the story is a tad bit harder than usual because I'm an avid Kurama fan. =)_

_Let's see... Kalel, Amariah, and Michael are original characters. The Yu Yu Hakusho characters are not mine._


	6. Memento

**Chapter 5; Memento**

"School. I felt it necessary to stay behind since she's a fox too. Seems like I made the right choice," Kurama whispered as he peeked around the door jam to catch a glimpse of Kalel. The covers were strewn off the bed and scattered around the room haphazardly. She was sitting on her bunk, legs drawn up and arms wrapped around them. She was snuggled into the corner. Her eyes were big and her hair was a mess. She looked wild, completely feral. She growled when she caught sight of Kurama's green eyes looking at her. He smiled with his eyes, trying to calm her somewhat. It didn't seem to work.

"I don't think she knows who we are anymore," Kurama stated as he retreated from the threshold. "It looks like Amariah took a little more than her powers from Kalel."

"What are we going to do?" Hiei asked his friend. The fox shrugged and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he closed his emerald eyes.

"Let her calm down. Other than that I don't think there is anything we can do. Amariah is probably the only one she will let near her." Kurama answered. He reached into the room to tug the door closed, earning him a growl from the frightened woman sitting on the bed, "for right now we should just leave her be. She won't go anywhere. And if she does, we will know. She is easier to track now that she has demon energy to lock onto."

OoO

This place smells sickening, like humans. Sweaty, sickly humans. Well, except for the scent that fire demon left behind. The red head called him Hiei. And the red head, Kurama, didn't smell exactly human, but I cannot place my finger on what he is. He has part of the same name as the Fox Thief. Coincidence maybe? Who knows.

I had felt them talking outside the room after I attacked them, but I didn't understand them. Their voices were too low and I was too engrossed in my thoughts. Thoughts like 'how the hell did I get here' and 'where the hell is here?' One second I'm in the forest with Amariah and Baethan. Amariah had shoved me into that portal right before Baethan attacked. And now I'm here. So I guess that answers one of my questions. Now for the next one: Where is here?

I look outside. The sun is just coming up and its rays wash over me as I gaze out the window. A gentle breeze blows into the room, ruffling my hair. It is warm and comforting. The sky is blue and the area seems tranquil. The trees in the forest are unmarred and perfect. I know now that I am in the Human World. It would explain why this entire place reeks of human and looks so serene. The portal Amariah pushed me though must have sent me here. They, those guys, must have found me. I turn to look at the closed door and narrow my eyes. They: the ones who were just in this room. Just then, a knock sounds from behind the very door I eyed. The energy signature from the person asking for entry was that of a demon. A timid female demon.

"Kalel?" She asks, her voice gentle. I could tell she was leaning against the door somewhat because her soft voice was slightly muffled more than one would normally expect, "can I come in, Kalel?"

"Come in," I answer. She opens the door and enters the room, tray of food in hand. My mouth drops open. Beautiful, blue-green hair, small stature, timid nature; an Ice Maiden. I've only heard of them from stories. Only a hand full of others have seen them in person. They rarely come down from their floating island. And by rarely I mean next to never. I wonder what she was doing off her island, let alone in the Human World. They are very prude demons, sectioning themselves off from the rest of Demon World, citing male violence as their reason. Stupidity was the real one. This one, though, seems a bit different.

"Here," she says warily, extending her arms and handing me the tray of food. She seems to be shaking a bit. I take it from her. "You really don't remember us, do you?" She asks, her red eyes gazing steadily at me despite the fact that her body language is telling me she is uncomfortable. I shake my head.

"Am I supposed to know you?" I ask. She nods her head in response, eyes hinting at the hurt I saw in her face at my comment.

"You've been here for the last few days," she answers. "Here, with us. You didn't look like this though," I raise my brows at her. I've been here for a few days and I don't remember anything? And I didn't look like I do now?

"What do you mean I didn't look like this?" I ask. She raises her hands to her mouth, signaling she might have just told me something she probably shouldn't have. I dip my head low, silently urging her to continue.

"Well, they told me not to talk to you too much, because you don't remember us and all. They said they would be around to answer questions when you are ready for them," I raise my eyebrows and lower my head even more, looking at her from under my brow bone. "You were human..." With that, she turns around and leaves, shutting the door quickly behind her and leaving me in a state of shock. I raise my head and stare at the door the Ice Maiden just went through. Human? Huh?

I'm not sure I'm ready to ask these people anything just yet. So, to get my mind off the question, I look to the food on the tray. Fish, noodles, tea and a glass of water stare back at me. Should I eat the food or just let it rot? I mean, I don't know these people. They could want to get rid of me. However, my stomach growls loudly as if answering my mental question for me. I dig in and the food is gone in a matter of minutes.

I sit down on the floor and lean my back against the wall. With my eyes closed I tilt my head back and sigh. I am in the Human World with a strange demon who was sleeping in my room, an equally strange... person... came to his rescue, and an Ice Maiden brought me food. Not to mention she told me I was human. What's next?

I take a deep breath in through my nose, the scent of a forest filling my nose and lungs. That smell. My favorite smell in all three of the worlds. I open my eyes and gaze at Amariah. Her eyes are brimming with tears. A few slip unchecked down her cheeks. She falls to her knees in front of me and gathers me into her arms, burying her face in my hair. I am so confused.

"Uh, Amariah?" I ask, not quite returning her embrace. She has never shown this kind of affection towards me. Ever.

"I missed you," she mutters into my hair. "I couldn't find you and I missed you." She hugs me tighter, smooshing me into the top part of her chest. My nose was getting crushed by her breast bone and was becoming a bit painful.

"Amariah, what's going on?" I ask, pushing away from her a bit so I could look at her face. She looks broken, upset and broken. Her silver eyes glisten with unshed tears and her face is damp from the ones that escaped. I have never seen her so choked up at seeing me. She averts her gaze from mine.

"I lost you. I pushed you through that portal and I lost you," she whispers, her lower lip quivering. "I searched, for 24 years I searched..." I interrupted her.

"Twenty-four YEARS?" I ask, stunned. Her eyes meet mine, eyes showing confusion, and nods.

"I figured you wouldn't remember," she says. Her eyes have dried up a bit.

"I remember you pushing me into that portal and then I wake up in this room with some demon sleeping on the window ledge," I relay to her. She smiles and nods at me, as if she understands something that I fail to.

"You didn't hurt him did you?" She asks. I shake my head.

"He was too fast," Amariah laughs at my comment. I didn't think it was very funny at all.

"They helped you. You don't remember, but they did. They saved your ass," she tells me with a smirk on her face. I raise an eyebrow to her.

"Is that what the Ice Maiden meant when she told me I was human? What happened?" I ask. She stills slightly as she falls into her mind.

"When I pushed you into that portal after giving you my power it must have... misfired. You weren't supposed to start a whole new life. You were supposed to turn human and retain your memories. Instead you were birthed as a tiny human and lost every single memory. Well, save the ones I made you dream about," she tells me. I stare blankly at her for a moment.

"I was born and raised human?" My head starts hurting a bit. I smelt like those nasty creatures? I shiver and, suddenly, I need to bathe. She smiles, seemingly reading my thoughts.

"I have an idea..." was the only warning I got before she presses a finger to my forehead and a light floods my mind. Stunned, I look past her, giving the perfect definition of a 1000 yard stare. As it dies down, I start remembering. Everything and I'm not just talking about the last few days. I remember my human family, my human friends, and my job. Everything. And even bits and pieces of her journey as she searched for me. I keep looking past her.

"Everything would have been so much easier if I would have known about you," I state and I see her nod out of the corner of my eye. I'm not mad and she knows it. "I could have searched for you with the same vigor you searched for me." I dip my head. Just then, a knock came from the door. It opens and Kurama sticks his head through the crack.

"Youko," I say as I nod to him, acknowledging and granting his request to enter. He smiles at me and nods his own hello to Amariah.

"Just Kurama, please," the fox requests. "So, you remember everything now?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes. Sorry," I apologize. He just keeps smiling at me. Suddenly, Hiei appears, sitting on my window ledge. I glance at him and lower my head, "Hiei." He just stares at me, understanding and seemingly accepting my apology with his usual monosyllabic reply.

"So, Kalel, do you want to tell us about yourself?" Kurama asks. I shake my head in reply.

"I don't like to repeat myself. It would be better if everyone was here before I start to tell my story," I tell him. He nods his approval. Amariah stands and takes me up to my feet as well. She plants a kiss on my forehead before taking her leave without a word to the guys. I stand there as she shimmers out of my view. She looks more like a mirage as she fades from view, going from opaque to translucent to transparent to gone. Kurama turns to take his own leave and I move to follow him, but I stop.

"Hiei," I say, remembering his threat towards Amariah last night. I turn to face the fire demon. "Don't try to hurt Amariah. If you do, I will kill you..."

_Author's Notes_

_Alright, life has been a bit stressful this week, so this is all I have for you devoted (and some possibly new) readers. I am making sure to update weekly, but it is short. I am SORRY! Deployment stress sucks. And on top of it, my wisdom teeth are coming in and one of them broke through my gums. Any of you who have had to deal with these damn things know how I feel. I don't get it... They should be called Pain Teeth, not Wisdom Teeth. They don't give you wisdom, they give you pain. Lots and lots of pain. Also, I had cortisone shot in my shoulder to try to help heal it. And I can't work out to my maximum for right now because of it. So it's been a little bit of a rough week for little ol' me. =(_

_Kalel remembers now... And threatens Hiei... =O_

_BTW: Memento means "Remember" or "Memory."  
BTW x's 2: Memento is going to be part of my next tattoo... It's part of my favorite saying "Memento Mori" meaning "Remember your Mortality" or "Remember you must die." That's where I got it from._

_Amariah, Kalel, and Baethan are original characters. The Yu Yu Hakusho characters are not mine._


	7. Scary Stories, Volume I

**Chapter 6; Scary Stories**

"So, Kalel, do you want to tell us about yourself?" Kurama asks. I shake my head in reply.

"I don't like to repeat myself. It would be better if everyone was here before I start to tell my story," I tell him. He nods his approval. Amariah stands and takes me up to my feet as well. She plants a kiss on my forehead before taking her leave without a word to the guys. I stand there as she shimmers out of my view. She looks more like a mirage as she fades from view, going from opaque to translucent to transparent to gone. Kurama turns to take his own leave and I move to follow him, but I stop.

"Hiei," I say, remembering his threat towards Amariah last night. I turn to face the fire demon. "Don't try to hurt Amariah. If you do, I will kill you." I narrow my eyes at him, driving a bit more threat into it with my eyes. His eyes narrow as well and he frowns.

"Hn," is all I get from him. He doesn't seem too worried, though. In the blink of an eye, Hiei has flitted out of the room, presumably through the open window that once sat behind him. I turn around, face blank, and follow Kurama out of the room. I wonder where he goes when he leaves. Hiei is such a mysterious person that I'm not sure anyone knows the answer to that question.

I wish I could tell you the day went smoothly; that it went out normally. No, because I love my privacy, I freaking cherish that shit. Privacy is like diamonds; clear, crisp, shinny diamonds. The type of diamonds people kill over, that is what privacy is like to me. It's a fox thing. Now comes the part where the day became shit: no privacy. Everywhere I turned, I was greeted by someone; Kurama, Genkai, Yukina, and the occasional Hiei. The entire day went on like that, one face after another when all I wanted to be is left alone. The only person I wanted to be with was myself. Finally, at the end of the day, I was alone. Alone for my shower and oh how I cherished it. I felt the water beat down on me and it rush down my body. I felt the heat from the steam rising up from the tub and rushing around me. Alone. I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my body. I wipe away the condensation from the mirror and stare into it at my reflection for a second before drying of and donning clothing. I open the door to the room and find that I am also alone here. Nice. Just as I thought that, a knock came at the door.

"Dinner is ready," Yukina tells me through the door. I sound my reply and start drying my hair with the towel. After a few minutes of vigorously shaking and rubbing my hair with the towel, I decide it is dry enough. Then, I take back my decision and continue drying it some more. I'm nervous and not really looking forward to what dinner holds. It's not just eating. It's talking. I can only imagine all the questions and comments they will have. And there are so many people. Well, in all reality, there aren't that many people, but, for me, there are. Finally, I get the courage to stop drying my hair and walk to the dinner table.

Upon entering the dining room, I see that I'm the last one to arrive. I look around and spot an empty seat in between Yukina and Kurama. I guess that was saved for me. I take my seat and dinner begins…

OoO

As Kalel sat down in her seat, she observed the dinner table. Everyone had full plates and was munching away on their food. All that was left was for her to pile the food onto her plate. As soon as she moved the questioning began. Yusuke, who was sitting directly across from her at the round table, was the first one to start.

"Sew… tell s bout oooo," he mumbled as he shoveled more food into his already full mouth. She cringed at seeing his mouth so full.

"Excuse me?" She asked as Yusuke gulped down his half chewed food. He grimaced and then cleared his throat.

"So, tell us about you," Yusuke said again with an empty mouth. She narrowed her eyes, watching his mouth move with every word as she scooped some food into her mouth. She slowly chewed before swallowing and answering his request. She stared at her glass of water, watching the faint ripples her voice made as she began to speak.

"I'm Kalel, born to Kaleb and Kristy in Risen's territory…" she began. Koenma cut her off. He appeared behind her, making her jump a bit as she watched her glass of water.

"Skip the pleasantries. We know that stuff," he butted in. She squared her shoulders as she turned to look at him from the corner of her eye; her way of letting him know she recovered from him startling her. She added a small growl, something to let him know he was pissing her off already.

"Then what would you like for me to tell you?" She asked through gritted teeth. She closed her eyes and felt his voice reverberate through her body as he answered.

"Tell us the important stuff, like why you have a Spirit attached to you and why you have a mad man pursuing you," Koenma commented crudely…

_Author's Notes_

_Well, since I haven't updated in a while, I figured I would break this chapter into two pieces. I just now have been able to access the internet. It is nice to be able to sit down with my own computer and do whatever I want to._

_Mmm… So work is awesome; time consuming, but awesome. I have only my certification test before I am officially a Personal Trainer, so I have not been sitting idly. I have also revised my previous chapters, so there are some subtle differences. I felt Kalel was too much like a Mary Sue, so I added a small twist/defect that will be revealed soon._

_I, unfortunately, do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or the characters within the show._


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